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Raphael Varieras
By
April 21, 2019

8 Reasons to Replace Radios with Zello

Zello is a better alternative to traditional push-to-talk (PTT) 2-way radios for these reasons:

1. Zello is less expensive.

In addition to the strict licensing requirements, commercial grade 2-way radios can cost anywhere from $150 to $3000 each, depending on the range and features you need. Multiply the cost of the units with licensing fees of $260 per unit, and you can easily see how expensive it can become, especially as your organization or business grows.

If you are using 2-way radios for your business or organization, you have to consider several important factors. By law, businesses and public entities such as hospitals or first responders cannot use “off-the-shelf” 2-way radios designed for consumer use (FRS or GMRS types). Instead, you must use commercial grade Land Mobile Radios (LMRs) and file for a FCC license to use them or pay a license holder. Filling out the paperwork can be tedious, and approval takes many months. Companies discovered using 2-way radios without a license can expect to pay a hefty fine to the FCC.

2. Zello is easy to implement.

It's easy to train staff to use Zello on their own smart devices, and it's even easier to pre-install Zello on devices for specific shifts and locations. We will assist you in all training, onboarding, and implementation, too. 

3. Zello allows flexibility.

Zello offers you cost effective and flexible options by allowing you to mix and match devices (including smartphones, tablets, PCs, rugged mobile devices, and 2-way radios). You can use Zello with either a carrier, Wi-Fi-only, or combination Wi-Fi/carrier solution.

4. Zello offers more features.

Zello also has features not available on 2-way radios such as message history, user and group management tools, unlimited channels and groups, group sizes of up to 1000, import and export functions, and alerts with messaging. With Zello, you are not tied to a contract or subject to cancellation fees. You can cancel at any time, and you will be refunded for any prepaid subscriptions on a pro-rated basis.

5. Zello has unlimited range.

Just like a 2-way radio or LMR, Zello offers real-time PTT communications. But unlike 2-way radios, Zello doesn’t have any range limits. You can also extend the range of your existing 2-way radios by linking them to Zello via a LMR gateway. Adding a gateway only costs an additional $1 per day. Growing your two-way radio system with Zello can be done gradually without disrupting the current system.

6. Zello offers better voice quality.

Zello works over the lowest bandwidth networks (2G) with clear voice quality. There is sub-second latency and messages are saved in addition to playing in real time, so you never miss another message. 

7. Zello supports multiple channels simultaneously.

With Zello, staff send instant voice messages to individuals contacts or groups of up to 6000 active users. Administrators are in complete control over who talks to who and who has access to what channels. 

8. Zello reduces the need to carry multiple devices.

 Zello is the perfect solution for companies adopting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment, where employees can use their own personal devices for work. With Zello, instead of carrying 2 devices, you will only need 1 device to handle all your communications, work, and personal needs.

Try Zello with your coworkers for free  No matter the size of your team, Zello can help you manage and communicate  with all your staff instantly and with live voice.   Create your free trial network now >